Obviously there has been a large gap in our blog postings, apologizes all around.
Over the past few weeks we've had the opportunity to visit two Maine State Parks in our area. While Maine is obviously known for Acadia, the only National Park in New England there are a number of State Parks within an hours drive of Biddeford.
State Park #1: Ferry Beach State Park
Date: Labor Day/Brazilian Independence Day
Purpose: Picnicking Awesomeness
With our crab salad sandwiches, tossed salad with a homemade vinaigrette and small bottle of red vino packed in our picnic cooler (thanks Aunt Cindy!) we hit the road in search of a park. Ferry Beach State Park is in Saco (or Old Orchard Beach, or maybe both) so it was a quick drive. We pulled into the long driveway and realized quickly that we had exactly $0 in cash so were fully prepared to turn around. Luckily the Park Greeters/Money Takers were in a good Labor Day kind of mood and let us through anyway.
We walked to a nice picnic area, a clearing surrounded by Oak Trees (and falling acorns) with a number of picnic tables, layed out our blanket on the grass, and feasted!
We then decided to explore the trails and the beach. The beach was nice, if a little crowded, but the trails were quite beautiful. They reminded us of some trails near our favorite camp in the Adirondacks!
Verdict: 4/5 stars
Blurb: A nice State Park with extensive trails and beaches. There didn't appear to be much in the way of open fields for frisbee or impromptu games of whiffle ball.
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State Park #2: Crescent Beach State Park
Date: 9.20
Purpose: Mom came to Maine! Sunday Celebration!
As my Mom came to town we decided to try and show her some of the sites and sounds of Maine, which meant the ocean and lobster! We had heard of a (supposedly) great Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth, about 20 minutes north of us, so we decided to hit up another state park for a lunch picnic and exploration mission. We packed up some delicious fruits and cheeses and hit the road, taking the coastal route to show the momma as much of the ocean as possible.
When we arrived at the park (we paid this time!) we noticed a massive parking lot, close to the ocean, and a slew of cars with expensive bikes attached. Apparently the Portland Bikers Club was picnicking that day as well. We went in search of a perfect area to leave our stuff, and found several secluded picnicking areas among the trees along the ocean. We quickly abandoned our food and bags and went in search of areas to explore.
The water was at pretty high tide when we arrived on the beach, and we walked out to a rocky area before returning to our lunch. After our apatites were sated we returned to exploring to find the tide much lower. There were all sorts of fascinating things along the rocks this time to visit!
Unfortunately, after putting our bags back in the car and looking for other (read: wooded) trails to walk along we found very little. Fortunately, we found delicious lobster dinners at the Lobster Shack close by for dinner!
Verdict: 2.5/5 Stars
Blurb: The beach area was very nice, but, I would argue, no nicer than Fortune's Rock (which is free). The picnic areas were nice small secluded areas, but there is only one large group picnicking area. The rest of the park seems to be taken up by a large parking lot.
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